Walla Walla Community College is pleased to announce Providence St. Mary Medical Center has been chosen to receive the 2021 Partner of the Year award from the Washington State Association of College Trustees.
Providence St. Mary Medical Center has facilitated clinical education for the WWCC Nursing Education program for more than 50 years. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Providence St. Mary made sure nursing students had access to clinical training they are required to complete before graduating.
“Providence and their leadership allowed our nursing program to graduate our students on time. While many programs across the state were unable to facilitate clinical education during COVID, Providence St. Mary Medical Center found a way to keep our program on track this year,” said Kathleen Adamski, WWCC Dean of Nursing Education. “If Providence had not made that happen, we may not have had a graduating class this June.”
Providence St. Mary CEO Susan Blackburn said her team is gratified to have been selected for this statewide recognition.
“Providence St. Mary is dedicated to meeting our community’s needs and we are privileged to have strong partners to help us fulfill this commitment,” Blackburn said. “We appreciate the high-quality nursing program WWCC offers and we welcome their students and graduates.”
In nominating Providence St. Mary for the award, WWCC specifically highlighted the tremendous program support of Providence St. Mary’s Chief Nursing Officer, Yvonne Strader. Adamski shared, “Her leadership enabled us to proceed with clinical education safely under pandemic conditions. She went above and beyond to make sure all necessary resources were available to our students.”
Providence St. Mary worked to provide COVID-19 vaccines to WWCC nursing, nursing assistant, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students as soon as it became available to these groups, and made sure they were fit-tested for N-95 respirators, ensuring their safety and ability to complete clinical requirements. The medical center provided all personal protective equipment for 130 nursing students free of charge.
Providence St. Mary Medical Center has partnered with WWCC since the nursing school program was founded in 1969. It serves as the primary acute care medical center providing clinical education for 130 first- and second-year WWCC nursing students and facilitates clinical education for EMT, phlebotomy and Health Information Systems programs.
The Washington State Association of College Trustees will host an awards dinner on November 18 at the Seattle Hilton Hotel and Convention Center in SeaTac.
